Even though online blackjack is very popular, there are still plenty of blackjack players who relish the idea of spending time at a live blackjack table in Las Vegas. Nothing beats the excitement of playing blackjack in Sin City, but if you are thinking about it you should be prepared. Here are some tips for playing blackjack in Vegas. The minimum bets are only $5 or $25, so if you’re a blackjack beginner and want a little practice before moving on to higher stakes, check out the Mirage. With a beginner-friendly casino, the Mirage is also a great place to stay on your trip to Las Vegas. The hotel resembles a beautiful tropical oasis that you’ll think you’re imagining. How to play blackjack in Vegas is a little different from playing online. In live Las Vegas blackjack you will have to communicate the decisions you want to make with hand signals. There are a few reasons for this. The casino environment is very loud. Hand signals are used to avoid any mistakes in hearing. Once you are in itching to take on blackjack in Las Vegas and play for real money, you might want to consider starting on one of the easy-to-find video blackjack machines scattered around the casino. These machines are perfect for beginners because of their small minimum bet (usually around 25 cents instead of $5 or more); when you lose because. Play Black Tie Blackjack-either single player or multiplayer with friends. Dress up in your epic high roller outfit and win big at the Blackjack table. Use your Gems to get Good Luck Charms, which boost your coin winnings from playing free Blackjack in Vegas World. Play Blackjack now and win tons of Coins!

1. How Much Does It Cost To Play Blackjack In Vegas
2. Where Is The Best Place To Play Blackjack In Vegas
3. Vegas World Blackjack Free

Everyone should want to know how to play blackjack in a casino. So I’ve written this blackjack tutorial to get you started.

And it doesn’t matter if you want to play in Atlantic City, Reno, Las Vegas, or online. The rules are mostly the same.

Why should you want to know how to play blackjack?

Simply put, it’s the best table game in the casino. It’s more fun than any other game except maybe craps. And it has the best odds in the casino.

Most people played some rudimentary version of 21 with their mom at the kitchen table when they were growing up. If you did, you’re partially prepared already.

But there’s more to knowing how to play blackjack in a casino than trying to get close to 21 without going over.

1- The Rules for Playing Blackjack

To start a game of blackjack, you first must buy in. At a land-based casino in Las Vegas, you’ll put money on the table that the dealer will convert to chips. (Don’t hand the money to the dealer.) In an online casino, you’ll deposit money into an account and draw off that as you play.

The dealer deals you (and the other players) 2 cards each. The dealer also takes 2 cards. One off the dealer’s cards is dealt face up.

Blackjack is a comparing game where you compare your score to the dealer’s to see who wins. The cards are worth a certain number of points each:

• Aces are worth 1 or 11.
• Face cards are worth 10.
• All the other cards are worth their ranking.

The suits don’t matter, and your hand’s score is calculated by totaling the point value for each card.

Your goal is to have a higher total than the dealer, OR to still be in the game if and when the dealer busts. Your goal is also to not go bust yourself.

What is this expression “bust”, and what does it mean?

Some people know that the game is also called 21. That’s a magic number for multiple reasons:

A 2-card hand with a total of 21 is a “blackjack” or “natural”. It pays off at 3 to 2 in most casinos.
Any hand with a total of 22 or higher is a bust, which is an immediate loss.

Any hand that hits 22 or higher loses at that instant. Since the dealer acts last, it’s possible for you to bust AND for the dealer to bust, and you’ll still lose.

Also, at the end of each round, if you and the dealer have the same score, you have a tie. This is called a “push”. You get your bet back but no winnings.

2- Your Options for How to Play Your Blackjack Hand

You have a limited number of decisions you’re allowed to make.

• You can “hit”. This means you take an additional card from the dealer. This will increase the point value of your hand by whatever the additional card is worth. You can hit your hand as many times as you want.
• You can “stand”. This means you opt to take the total you have now and take no additional cards. Once you stand, you don’t get to make any decisions. You just have to wait to see how the rest of the hand plays out.
• You can “split”. You can only split your hand when it consists of 2 cards of the same rank. Not only that, but you have to put up a new bet for the 2nd hand, then you get to play 2 hands. The starting card for each hand is one of the 2 cards from your original hand.
• You can “double down”. You put up another bet, the same size as the first one, doubling the amount of money you have in action on the hand. Then you take one more card. You cannot hit after getting that one additional card.
• You can “surrender”. When you surrender, you give up half your bet. Your hand ends immediately. This is occasionally–but rarely–the correct play, mathematically.

The dealer also gets to make decisions, but she has specific rules related to what she can and can’t do.

3- The Dealer’s Rules for Playing Each Hand

The dealer doesn’t get to make decisions about how to play her hand. She plays according to a prescribed set of rules. She doesn’t have options like splitting, doubling down, or surrendering. All she can do is hit or stand.

At most casinos, the dealer must hit or hand until she has a total of 17 or higher. Then she must stand.

At this point, it probably makes sense to discuss the difference between “soft hands” and “hard hands”. (The dealers at some casinos hit a soft 17, but at other casinos, they must stand on a soft 17.)

4- Soft Hands versus Hard Hands

A soft hand is a blackjack hand that includes an ace. Since an ace can count as a 1 or as an 11, you’re less likely to bust when you have a soft total.

Let’s look at an example:

You’re dealt a 5 and an ace. Your total is 16, but it’s soft. If you hit and get a 9, you can count the total as 25 or as 15. Since you’d bust with a total of 25, you’d count it as a 15.

A hard hand, on the other (ahem) hand, is a hand where the total isn’t flexible. In the previous example, that 2nd total is a hard total of 15.

Here’s another example:

You have a 5 and a king. That’s a total of 15. There’s no wiggle room. The cards are worth what they’re worth, so that’s a hard total.

The appropriate strategy for whether to hit or stand varies based on whether you have a hard or soft total. It also varies based on what the dealer’s face up card looks like.

In some casinos, the dealer hits a soft 17. In others, the dealer stands on a soft 17.

You’re better off playing in casinos and at tables where the dealer stands on a soft 17.

5- The Little Details Related to Playing Blackjack in a Casino

Knowing how the rules work is one thing, but actually being able to play requires a little more knowledge and skill.

For one thing, you need to know the appropriate hand signals for the various decisions you make. You can say “hit” or “stand” out loud.

But don’t be surprised if the dealer asks you to use the appropriate hand signals. The camera above the table records all the action. If you’re using hand signals, it’s impossible for you to lie about whether the dealer made a mistake.

The hand signals vary based on whether you’re playing in a face up or face down game. In casinos dealing from a shoe with multiple decks in it, you get your cards face up. When you’re playing in single deck games, it’s traditional for you to get your cards face down.

In a face up game, you’re not allowed to touch the cards. You signal the dealer what to do with hand motions.

To take a hit, you point at your hand with your index finger. To stand, you wave your hand face-down over the cards.

And if you want to double down or split, you place your 2nd bet next to your original bet. Do not place it on top of your original bet, though.

If you’re playing in a game where the cards are dealt face down, you’ll actually be allowed to hold your cards. To ask for another card, scrape the cards gently on the table. If you want to stand, place the cards underneath your tips. To double down or split, you’ll turn your cards over and place your 2nd bet next to the first one. Never place your 2nd bet on top of your original bet.

And, of course, if you’re playing online, you’ll just use the appropriate animated buttons to make your decisions.

6- Then Learn Basic Strategy

It’s pointless to play the one game in the casino with the smallest house edge if you don’t take advantage of that low edge. And in blackjack, your decisions matter. There’s one mathematically best decision in every situation.

Experts call all those correct decisions and situations combined “basic strategy”.

You have the following information in each hand:

• Whether you have a pair or not.
• Whether you have a hard or soft total.
• What that total is.
• One of the dealer’s cards.

If you have a pair, you get to decide whether or not to split. This decision varies based on the dealer’s upcard. In some situations, like when you have aces or 8s, you”ll always split. In others, like when you have 4s, 5s, or 10s, you’ll never split.

With the other pairs, you need to memorize the basic strategy for splitting based on the dealer’s upcard. For example, if you have a pair of 2s, 3s, or 7s, you’ll split if the dealer has a 2 through 7 showing. If the dealer has an 8 or higher showing, you’ll treat your hand as whatever hard total it is (4, 6, or 14).

With hard totals, you’ll usually be gauging how likely it is that the dealer will have a stiff hand. (A stiff hand is one that’s likely to go bust.) You usually assume the dealer has a 10 in the hole, but not always.

There are more 10s in the deck than any other value, because of the jacks, queens, and kings. If the dealer has a 6 showing and a 10 in the hole, she has a hard total of 16. She’s required by the rules to hit that hand. Most of the cards in the deck will cause her to bust.

So if you have a hard total of 16 in that situation, you’re better off standing than hitting. You’ll probably win if the dealer busts. And if you take an extra card, you’re likely to bust.

The strategy is different for a soft 16 in that situation. It’s impossible to bust that hand, so you should try to improve it. The only soft totals you’ll always stand on are soft totals of 18 or more.

Plenty of sites offer detailed explanations of basic strategy. Most of them also include a table to help you memorize the correct moves. My favorite is the basic strategy generator at Ken Smith’s site. It’s configurable by the rules that you input, which means it’s more accurate than most basic strategy charts.

7- Remember How the House Edge Works

The house edge is the mathematical advantage that the casino has over the player in the long run. For most blackjack games, the house edge is between 0.5% and 1%.

What does this mean?

You’re mathematically expected to lose AN AVERAGE of 50 cents or $1 every time you place a $100 wager. This is a long term expectation, though. In the short run, you might win or lose much more than this.

If you’re not using basic strategy, the house edge goes up. Really bad players at the blackjack table face a house edge closer to 4%.

If you take nothing else way from this post, learn this:

You should always play according to basic strategy.

The only time you deviate is if you’re counting cards at an expert level. That won’t apply to most of my readers here.

Ignore your hunches. They’re meaningless. You’re not psychic. I promise.

Also, even though the house edge for blackjack is incredibly low, it’s still there. If you play blackjack long enough, the casino will win all your money.

Finally

Learning how to play blackjack should be mandatory for any serious casino gambler.

That’s why I wrote this blackjack tutorial.

It’s one of the most entertaining games in the casino. And even though the house has an edge, it’s one of the lowest in the casino. That means you get more entertainment for your money.

The best way to learn how to play blackjack is online, by the way. You can play free games where you don’t have to risk any money at almost any reputable online casino. The only exceptions are those online casinos offer live dealer games via webcam. They’d be fools to let you play for free while they have to pay an actual dealer.

Now that you know how to play blackjack, get started right away. Good luck at the tables!

Accordingto statistics, over 42.52 million people visit Las Vegas every year. Naturally,people come to the City of Lights for a variety of reasons, but the most famousreason is gambling with the preferred table game for most being blackjack.

Itspopularity in Vegas is no accident, as it levels the playing field betweenhouse and player. Plus, blackjack requires strategy and decision-making skillsthat base winning on more than pure chance, unlike slot machines orroulette.

Someveteran players complain that the quality of Blackjack in Vegas has diminishedfrom what it was two decades ago. While it is true that some casinos havechanged some rules and payouts, there are many places where you can still findgood tables.

So how do gamblers find the best spots to play their favorite game? Lucky for them, casino review websites like OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos.com publish a blackjack casino survey for Las Vegas that includes all major casinos in the city. The guide is completely free online and filters casinos by:

• Location
• House Edge
• Table Limits
• Specific Variations of Rules

Local Vegas blogger, Heather Ferris, updates the survey each year by visiting the properties and collecting her information first hand. Aside from the Vegas Blackjack Survey, OUSC also reviews online blackjack casinos as well as other games that are available to play in both Las Vegas and online.

Best Casinos to Play Blackjack in Vegas

If youfind yourself in Sin City, one of the best Las Vegas casinos to play blackjackin is the Aria. It offers games from mid-range players to high-rollers. You cansit at $100 tables that stand on all 17s, and some games have a house edge aslow as 0.2553%.

TheExcalibur doesn’t just draw people in with its Medieval-theme and castle-likefaçade. It also appeals to visitors by offering Blackjack Switch that has a $10minimum and a six-deck offering with a $15 bet minimum.

TheLuxor is another great option for bettors that includes 87 table games allstuffed under its pyramid-shaped roof, including double-deck and eight-deckblackjack. The best game here is likely the $25 double-deck, with high limitgames that feature six-decks and a minimum bet of $100.

How Much Does It Cost To Play Blackjack In Vegas

Wewould also recommend visiting Mandalay Bay, the MGM Grand, New York-New York,and the Bellagio for more card action.

Where Is The Best Place To Play Blackjack In Vegas

Cheapest Blackjack in Vegas

Ifyou’re on a budget but don’t want to miss out on some twenty-one fun, you canhit up some of the cheapest tables in the city. The days of $1 tables on theVegas Strip may be over, but the surrounding areas still have low-cost optionswhere you can walk away victorious.

OutsideVegas, you can visit Club Fortune, Joker’s Wild Casino, and Railroad PassCasino for these budget tables. Arizona Charlie’s on Boulder Highway alsooffers $3 tables, and it’s got some of the best deals in the city.

Ifthese aren’t to your liking, you can visit North Las Vegas. There, you cancheck out the Poker Palace, Silver Nugget, or Jerry’s Nugget to play the gamein 3-2 format, at $3 tables. The Lucky Club Hotel & Casino even providesgamblers those elusive $1 tables.

Anotherbargain option is El Cortez on Fremont Street that is known to have some of thebest gambling odds in the city. It includes a multiplayer video machine that isa $1, 3-2 game.

Blackjack in Vegas for Beginners

Ifyou’ve never played or are still new to blackjack, sitting in on some gambling lessons isn’ta bad idea.

If yourun into anything confusing or require clarification, it is best to reach outto a community of players for assistance, such as the Blackjack in Vegas Reddit group. There you can read tips, player reviews andask any questions you may have. Everyone starts as a beginner, so the more youlearn and practice, the better you’ll get.

Onceyou feel confident, the best way to test out your newly acquired skills is withonline live dealer blackjack. It is equivalent to the Vegas experience byfeaturing dealer interaction, similar stakes, and plenty of excitement andthrills.

About OUSC

Vegas World Blackjack Free

OnlineUnitedStatesCasinos.com was created in 2013 to help gamblers find reliable online casinos accepting US players and approve American deposits. It has now grown into the current leading online casino authority in the USA.

Comments